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http://www.fightmagazine.com/mma-magazine/mammas-boyz-627/#commentsFri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000Matt Buroshhttp://www.fightmagazine.com“Don’t ever get in between a mother bear and her cubs.” So goes the wisely-worded, backcountry warning that illustrates the sheer power of the bond that exists between mother and child in nature. When it comes to an encounter with a perceived threat against its offspring, mother bears are notorious for viciously mauling whatever happens [...]

So goes the wisely-worded, backcountry warning that illustrates the sheer power of the bond that exists between mother and child in nature. When it comes to an encounter with a perceived threat against its offspring, mother bears are notorious for viciously mauling whatever happens to be in the way. Simply put, mothers that deliver their offspring by live birth oftentimes feel a particular attachment to their young, whether it’s rooted in instinct, emotion, or simply to ensure the survival of one’s own genetic information as it’s replicated for future generations.

Regardless of the reasons behind such a violently defensive predisposition, does this instinctive behavior transcend the boundary that separates the wild animals living in nature from the civilized human animals dwelling in society? How do human mothers react when their own children face threats of a physical nature such as a fight? Specifically applied, how do mothers react when their sons assert that they will make careers out of regularly facing physical threats, such as those inherent in mixed martial arts?

In the interest of curing curiosity, the following singular question was asked of numerous mixed martial artists: “How did your mother react when you first told her you wanted to fight for a living?”

FEAR

Oftentimes at the foundation of a mother’s defense of her young and the “fight or flight” response that goes along with the situation, fear is a very motivating force. Upon hearing their son’s plans to fight in mixed martial arts, many MMA moms admittedly felt fear—and chose fight instead of flight—as conjured images of their injured sons filled their heads and disapproval exited their mouth.

DENIAL

In line with the “fight or flight” response, sometimes fear can cause a protesting mother to spare herself stress and anxiety by simply avoiding the conflict caused by a decision her son has made. Having convinced themselves that if they didn’t believe it, perhaps it wouldn’t happen, here are a few mothers who had trouble accepting the call to MMA that their now-famous sons had revealed to them in the past.

Nate Quarry:

“She said, ‘I don’t approve of violence so I can’t support that.’”

Matt Brown

“My mom didn’t think I was serious. She never liked it but never disagreed either. Now that she realizes that it is a serious sport with real athletes. She loves it.”

Cole Miller

“At first, everyone thought it was a phase, and they didn’t really believe me. But when I kept winning, I got more support. When I made it to the UFC, everyone shut the fuck up.”

ACCEPTANCE

Finally, there are those mothers who, for one reason or another, accept their sons’ decisions to actively participate in the most intense sport on earth. Whether it is due to a gradual warming-up to the idea of physical competition throughout their growing boy’s life, a faith in their son’s ability, or even just a simple respect for the autonomy of their child, these next MMA moms handled the news pretty well.

Josh Neer

“My mom wanted me to stay in college, but I do what I want … she got over it quick.”

Stephan Bonnar

“Ya know, it never got to the point where I had to tell her. She probably had an idea when I was a little kid, when I was begging and pleading to join the wrestling team, and then with Taekwondo and then boxing and jiu-jitsu. She always knew I was competitive, so she never bothered me. She’s just happy to see that I’m passionate about something and working hard. That, to her, is more important than the danger of me being hurt or beat up. When I was growing up, I had two older brothers, so I was always getting beat up anyway, so she wasn’t too worried about MMA.”

Joe Riggs

“Well, she knew I was bred for this. My dad had me boxing and wrestling when I was like 8 years old. He groomed me to be a fighter since I was a kid. When it finally happened, she was like, ‘It’s about time!’ I was 17 years old during my first pro fight, and she had to sign the permission slips. She gets nervous sometimes, but she’s cool with it.”

Josh Thomson

“My father made me [a fighter], and until he died, I assume he was proud of what I’ve made of my life. My grandmothers didn’t like that I was fighting, but they understood where I came from and how far I’ve grown as a person, and they couldn’t be happier that I didn’t end up doing something way worse with my life.”

Phil Baroni

“What did my mom say when I told her I wanted to be a fighter? She said, ‘I knew it, you son of a bitch!’ (laughs). I’ve wanted to be a fighter my whole life.”

Kevin Randleman

“I never cared what anyone thought. I do what I want. No one pays my bills but me. No one is gonna live or die for me. When I die, I die, so I made up my mind that I was going to do whatever I wanted to do.”

It seems that whereas mothers in nature react in only one way when their offspring are threatened, it is the human mother who is capable of reacting in a variety of ways, using the power of reason over instinct. But despite these differences, one thing still holds true above all: There is a powerful connection between mother and child, and maybe no one knows it more than the MaMMA’s boyz that make up modern day MMA.

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http://www.fightmagazine.com/mma-magazine/acting-out-618/#commentsFri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000Bear Frazerhttp://www.fightmagazine.comThousands of actors portray “tough guy” characters, but only a few possess the discipline and technique to actually stand toe-to-toe with a legit mixed martial artist. At FIGHT!, we’ve watched enough films to know which thespians could step into the cage without being maimed. They might not necessarily become champions, but here are 10 actors [...]

]]>Thousands of actors portray “tough guy” characters, but only a few possess the discipline and technique to actually stand toe-to-toe with a legit mixed martial artist. At FIGHT!, we’ve watched enough films to know which thespians could step into the cage without being maimed. They might not necessarily become champions, but here are 10 actors who could hold their own in a sanctioned pro fight … excluding Chuck Norris (supposedly, his tears can cure cancer).

10. RYAN REYNOLDS

Though known for his comedic roles in Van Wilder and Waiting…, it was 2004’s Blade: Trinity that transformed Reynolds into an action star. Four months before the movie was shot, Reynolds dieted, gained 20 pounds of muscle, and underwent intense training regimens in boxing and martial arts to prepare him for the physically demanding role. While that isn’t enough to guarantee MMA success, Reynolds is only 33 years old and has the basic fundamentals to improve.

9. WESLEY SNIPES

If Herschel Walker can pursue MMA, there isn’t any reason why Snipes can’t. The actor has trained in an assortment of disciplines, including Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, kung fu, and Capoeira. Most importantly, Snipes is the proud owner of a 5th-dan black belt in Shotokan, and as Lyoto Machida has shown, it’s damn near difficult to land a strike on a Shotokan black belt. Although a proposed 2005 fight with Joe Rogan fell through, Snipes could still do some damage.

8. SEAN PATRICK FLANERY

A black belt under Renzo Gracie prodigy and Hollywood BJJ business partner Shawn Williams, this Boondock Saints star has been immersed in the martial arts since childhood. While he has studied a plethora of different styles in the past and currently dabbles in Muy Thai, Flanery absolutely loves to compete. In fact, he won a handful of jiu-jitsu tournaments in 2002 and 2003. Though he has no intentions of becoming The Ultimate Fighter, the skill set is there.

7. JEAN-CLAUDE VAN DAMME

Beginning his martial arts studies at age 12 and competing regularly in “full-contact promotions,” the Belgian was one of the best mixed martial artists in the 70’s and 80’s before the sport actually had a name. Possessing a hybrid of karate, kickboxing, Muy Thai, Shotokan, and tae kwon doe, Van Damme used his pedigree to put on memorial performances in movies such as Bloodsport and Universal Soldiers. Although competing against today’s modern day gladiators could be detrimental to his health, we’re sure he still has a little pep in his step.

6. JOHNNY STRONG

When Strong isn’t fronting his Atlantic Records rock band Operator or playing roles in flicks such as Black Hawk Down, Sinners And Saints, and The Fast And The Furious, he spends his time preparing for a dream bout with UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva. A brown belt in BJJ with judo experience and a passion for punching people in the face, Strong—who is in his early 30’s—is young enough to actually have a successful MMA run.

5. JOE ROGAN

He hosted Fear Factor, was a regular on News Radio, and nowadays, when he isn’t telling jokes, Rogan analyzes fights as the UFC’s color commentator. But don’t get it twisted, he can fight as well. A black belt in tae kwon do and brown belt under the 10th Planet BJJ system, his instructor Eddie Bravo said in 2008 that Rogan could go “straight to 170 and fuck up a lot of dudes.” Now that’s a co-sign Carlos Mencia will never get.

4. JACKIE CHAN

If Bruce Lee is the “Godfather of MMA,” then Jackie Chan was blessed with greatness in the early 70’s as he worked alongside Lee in Fist Of Fury and Enter The Dragon. Chan achieved his own acclaim as an international movie actor who flashed his background in Shaolin Kung-Fu, tae kwon do, and hapkido. Though a fight against fellow Chinese actor Jet Li would truly be a dream match, the 55-year-old Chan could possibly put the hurtin’ on a few featherweights.

3. JET LI

In ten words or less: the younger, lighter, faster version of Jackie Chan.

2. TONY JAA

The 33-year-old has done his fair share of stunt work and has a sound background in kung fu, but he demonstrated his speed and skill in Ong-Bak: Muy Thai Warrior, where he spent a solid year learning Muay Boran—the fighting style that Muy Thai derived from. If Jaa were to pursue MMA, he could do fairly well. After all, he spends his free time beating up elephants, so defeating humans shouldn’t be a problem.

1. JASON DAVID FRANK

Best known for his role as Tommy Oliver in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (the green and, later, white ranger), Frank considers himself a martial artist first and an actor second. The 36-year-old is a 6th degree black belt, trains diligently in Muay Thai and BJJ, and was inducted in the World Karate Union Hall Of Fame in 2003. Oh, and he also keeps his eye on MMA, having cornered Melvin Guillard and founded the clothing line Jesus Didn’t Tap. With serious aspirations of competing in MMA, Frank has all the tools of making his future debut an extremely successful one.